Most cellular phones and smartphones include a speakerphone function, which is useful for those who wish to use the phone in hands-free mode, or those who want to hold the phone further away from their head to avoid unhealthy doses of radiation exposure. Also, since many smartphones also comprise an audio/video player function, some users can want to use them to listen to music, watch movies, or play games. The term “smartphone” refers to a mobile phone or communications device built on a mobile operating system and provided with more advanced computing capability and connectivity than a network phone. Recent developments include the incorporation of the reception of radio transmissions and other audio transmissions. Since the built-in speakers that are included in such devices are, by necessity, quite small, they often do not provide adequate volume to be easily audible to the user. There are sounds other than voice, music and audio transmissions that are emitted by the audio device speaker, including but not limited to, tones, telephone ringers and other sounds that are emitted by the speaker port of most audio devices instead of the less powerful speaker found on certain smartphones, for example, on the Apple iPhone®. Typically, smartphones and similar products (i.e. portable audio devices) are built to be small, with a height of approximately 4.5 to 4.9 inches (115-124 mm), a width of approximately 2.3 inches (58.6 mm) and a thickness of 0.3-0.37 inches (7.6-9.3 mm). A need therefore exists for amplification of the sound produced by these devices. While such amplification can be accomplished by electronic means, it is simpler and less energy-intensive to amplify the sound acoustically by means of an acoustic horn or resonating chamber.
There are several such amplification devices on the market. Some are configured with docking stations for a smartphone that include a resonating chamber with an acoustic horn shape. Another device currently on the market is a horn-shaped structure that attaches to a smartphone and can be used as a smartphone stand. However, such devices are not portable and can be very bulky. A user may not wish to carry both the smartphone and the amplification device.
One currently marketed device is a case for a smartphone that provides a gap between the lower edge of the smartphone and the lower edge of the case, allowing for a compact, low-depth resonance chamber. However, it does not provide adequate amplification due to the small size of the resonance chamber.
It is therefore desirable to provide an sound amplifying cover for a smartphone or similar electronic device that is portable, does not add significant bulk to the device, and that amplifies the device's sound more efficiently than existing prior art devices.